Mission Impossible - Ghost Recon (Paramount)
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence.
Starring Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Ivan Shvedoff, Anil Kapoor, Léa Seydoux, Josh Holloway, Miraj Grbic.
Written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, based on the TV series created by Bruce Geller.
Directed by Brad Bird.
GRADE: B
REVIEW:
This review will self-destruct in 5 seconds, unless you chose to read on.
Tom Cruise is back as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol for latest in the popular movie series based on the TV show from the 60s and 70s. This time Hunt must track down a Cold War throwback madman who wants to blow up the world and start over.
Joining Hunt in his quest are agents Jane, Benji and Brandt (Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner) as they travel from Hungary, Moscow, Dubai and Mumbai tracking the evil Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) and try to keep him from obtaining some old missile launch codes.
As Ethan and his team get closer to Hendricks, the action intensifies and the plot twists, but not as much as you're used to in other Mission films.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is a worthwhile sequel in the series; mostly because of the ways it eschews some of the staples of its predecessors. There are more than a few humorous references to the time-honored Mission Impossible tradition of agents wearing doppelganger masks only to pull them off to reveal their true identity. It's all talk and no action in the mask department this time around, and that's not a bad thing. It was getting old. Another break from tradition is the tendency of other Mission films to completely disregard continuity between film. This time around, Ethan speaks of his wife (Bridget Moynihan) from MI3.
Brad Bird directed MI4 and pulls the talented cast together for a decent ensemble performance, but it would have been terribly bland without the comedic talents of Simon Pegg, who steals just about every scene he's in.
MI4 isn't a great film, but it's sufficient for a good action movie date night and a lot of fun.
